Means for holding and adjusting printing-plates on a base-plate.



(1.0. ANDREWS. MEANS FOR HOLDING AND ADJUSTING PRINTING PLATES ON A BASE PLATE. APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 7, 1910.

998,447, Patented July 18,1911.

A TTOHWEKS'.

COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH CD., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UTT STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE C. ANDREWS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO ELBERT J. ANDREWS,- OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR HOLDING AND ADJUSTING PRINTING-PLATES ON A BASE-PLATE.

nearer.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. ANDREWS, a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Holding and Adjusting Printing-Plates on a Base-Plate, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices for securing a printing plate or plates to a base plate and the object thereof is to provide an improved device or devices of this class whereby stereotype, electrotype and other printing plates may be conveniently secured to a base plate, and by means of which a printing plate or plates of said class may be easily adjusted into any desired position on the base plate, and my invention is more especially designed for use in connection with a base plate provided with a plurality of diagonal grooves or channels in the surface thereof and in which the holding or clamping device or devices are placed in the operation of securing the printing plate or plates to the base plate.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of .which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters, in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing'a printingl plate connected with a base plate by means of my improved clamp or holding device a number of which are employed; Fig. 2 a partial section on the line 22 of Fig. 1-; Fig. 3 a partial section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; Fig. a partial section on the line 4l4c of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 a perspective view of one of my improved clamping or holding devices detached, and ;Fig. -6 a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing only a small portion of the base plate and a modified form of a part of one 'of my improved clamping or holding devices.

In the drawing forming part of this specification I have shown at a a printers base Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 7, 1910.

Patented July 18, 1911.

Serial No. 590,997.

or bed plate of well known form and the surface of which is provided with parallel diagonal and equally spaced grooves a and I have also shown at b a rectangular and oblong printing plate which is mounted on said base or bed plate and secured thereto by my improved holding or clamping devlces.

The grooves a are provided in their side walls with longitudinally under cut grooves a which are preferably V-shaped in form as shown in Fig. 2, the outer walls thereof being inclined inwardly and upwardly and formed in the grooves b at equally spaced intervals, and in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, are circular recesses a the transverse dimensions of which are greater than the transverse dimensions of said grooves.

In the construction of my improved clamping or holding device or devices I provide a plug or block a which is adapted to be inserted into said recesses a and the top of which is flush with the top surface of the plate a when said plug or said clamping or holding device is in use. A screw 03 is passed through the plu or block 0, and one end thereof 18 rotatable in a box member 6 and is provided with a beveled gear 6 which is formed on a head having a neck formed by an annular groove 6 and a pin 6 is passed through the box member 0 and through the groove 6 as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and this holds said screw in connection with said box member while permitting of its free rotation. The box member 6 is oblong in form and rectangular in cross section and is adapted to exactly fit in one of the grooves a and to slide therein and when said box member is in position its top surface is fiush with the top surface of the base or bed plate a; The top of the box member the neck f of the gear f, and this screw holds the said gear in the box 6 while permitting of its free rotation. Mounted on the head f of the gear f is a clamp plate 9 which is rectangular in form and preferably oblong, and the opposite sides of which are undercut or beveled as shown at 9 and the sides or sides and ends of the printing plate I) are also beveled to correspond with the bevel of the sides of the clamp plate 9. The end of the box or box member a opposite the screw d is also preferably open as shown at h in Fig. 3, and said box or box member is provided on its opposite sides with beveled lugs 71 which fit in the grooves 64 in the side walls of the grooves a in the base or bed plate a. With this construction it will be seen that by using a screw-driver or similar tool or instrument in connect-ion with the head f of the gear f, the said gear may be turned in either direction and the operation of this gear will turn the screw d in either direction according to the direction in which the gear f is turned, and this operation of the screw (X will move the box member 6 longitudinally of the groove a in which it is placed and as will be readily understood, and in this way the box member 6, a number of which are always employed, as shown in Fig. 1 may be quickly and easily adjusted into any desired position on the base or bed plate a, and the printing plate 6 may thus be quickly and easily connected with said bed or base plate and adjusted into any desired position.

The plug or block 0 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive is cylindrical in cross section, but in Fig. 6 I have shown a modification consisting of a block 0 fitted into one of the grooves a and locked in any desired position by means of a lug or projection 0 on one side of said block which fits in a corresponding recess 0 in one side wall of the groove a and it will be understood that when this construction is employed one side wall of the grooves a in the base or bed plate a is provided at regular intervals with the recess or recesses 0 in order to permit of the adjustment of the blocks 0 in the grooves a In Fig. l I have shown but one printing plate 6 connected with the base or bed plate a, but it will be understood that, in practice, any desired number of said printed plates may be employed, and they may be placed side by side, or end to end, and when so placed the spaces between the same will depend upon the width of the clamp plates 9 and said clamp plates and all the parts of my improved clamping or holding device consisting of the parts 0, d, e, f and 9 may be made of any desired dimensions.

All the parts of the clamping or holding device except the plate 9 must fit within the groove or grooves a and the top surfaces of the parts 0 and e or 0 must not extend above the top surfaces of the base or bed plate a. The clamp plates 9 are loosely mounted on the heads f of the gears f and in securing a printing plate to the base or bed plate a. all that is necessary is to place said printing plate approximately in the position desired and then place the clamps or holding devices adjacent to said plate, and the adjustment of the box members 0 of the clamps or holding devices may be effected quickly and easily by turning the heads f of the gears f and when said parts have been properly adjusted the clamp plates 9- will bear on the sides of the plate Z) and will be held stationary and said plate 7) will be securely locked in position.

My invention is not limited to any particular form of base or bed plate, nor to a base or bed plate provided with diagonal grooves, or to a base plate formed of one piece, and while I have shown and described the part 0 as a box member adapted to slide in the grooves a my invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of said box member and any block shaped. devices of this class capable of being used in the manner shown and described may be employed, and various changes in and modifications of this and other features of construction herein described may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described. my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a printing plate holder, the combination with a bed plate provided with a plurality of parallel grooves, of stop devices detachably and adjustably mounted in said grooves, screws passed therethrough, clamp plate holding devices adapted to slide in said grooves and with which said screws are rotatably connected, the end of said screws within said clamp plate holding devices being provided with beveled gears, other beveled gears mounted in said clamp plate holding devices and provided with parts which pass out through the top thereof and are provided with screw heads, and clamp plates rotatably mounted on said heads and in which said heads are countersunk.

2. The combination with a bed plate having equally spaced parallel grooves, of means for clamping a printing plate thereon, consisting of posts detachably and adjustably mounted in said grooves, screws passing through said posts, sliding members mounted in said grooves and with which said screws are rotatably connected, the ends of said screws within said sliding members being provided with beveled gears, other beveled gears mounted in said sliding members and meshing with the beveled. gears on said screws and provided With parts which my invention. I have signed my name in pass out through the tops of said sliding presence of the subscribing Witnesses this members and are provided with screW- 5th day of November 1910.

shaped heads, and clamp plates rotatably GEORGE C. ANDREWS. mounted on said heads and in Which said WVitnesses: heads are countersunk. C. E. MULREANY,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as B. M. RYERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

